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s’alanguissait au souffle impérieux d’Eole

English translation: languorous beneath the wind's command

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:s’alanguissait au souffle impérieux d’Eole
English translation:languorous beneath the wind's command
Entered by: Carol Gullidge

14:22 Dec 7, 2010
French to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / flowery description of scenery
French term or phrase: s’alanguissait au souffle impérieux d’Eole
Tout a commencé pour l’auteur en ce 16 juin 2006. L’orage menaçait sur Gréoux-les-bains, une charmante cité thermale aux tuiles plates et orangées, enclavée dans son écrin de verdure provençal à quelques encablures de Manosque.

Cette terre chaude et rustique, embaumée des suavités les plus subtiles, ******s’alanguissait au souffle impérieux d’Eole****** s’immisçant de pétales en feuillages et de montagnes en vallées.

_________________

The very beginning of a lengthy foreword to a novel. Any help with actually deciphering this would be much appreciated as I'm more concerned about finding the correct meaning than about a wonderfully-crafted ready-made answer - which I'd be quite happy to do myself if I only knew what is actually being said! Not that beautiful turns of phrase ever go amiss on KudoZ, and they are a wonderful resource for the Glossary...
The next part of the sentence is also flummoxing me, but that's the subject of a separate question.

PS, in case it's not obvious, the register here is fairly high/literary

Many thanks in advance for any suggestions!
Carol Gullidge
United Kingdom
Local time: 01:28
languishing beneath the wind's command
Explanation:
Aeolus (Éole) is the Greek god of the winds. I think the suggestion here (and in your subsequent request) is that the town is bathed in the scents emanating from the petals and leaves through which the wind has passed.

Impériux suggests that the town has no option. Its location means that it always must smell of the scents borne on the wind, from whichever direction it blows.
Selected response from:

George May (X)
Local time: 01:28
Grading comment
thanks so much to all of you! Every Answer has its nice points, making it very hard to choose between them, and, to be honest, I think any of these would have done the trick, given the style of the ST. A pity that more points can't be dished out! Note that I've opted for BD's "languorous", but I think Sandra's "languid" would also have worked here
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +1languorous under the imperious breath of the winds
B D Finch
3languid under the pressing touch of Eolus's breath
Sandra Mouton
2languishing beneath the wind's command
George May (X)


Discussion entries: 6





  

Answers


28 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
languishing beneath the wind's command


Explanation:
Aeolus (Éole) is the Greek god of the winds. I think the suggestion here (and in your subsequent request) is that the town is bathed in the scents emanating from the petals and leaves through which the wind has passed.

Impériux suggests that the town has no option. Its location means that it always must smell of the scents borne on the wind, from whichever direction it blows.

George May (X)
Local time: 01:28
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
thanks so much to all of you! Every Answer has its nice points, making it very hard to choose between them, and, to be honest, I think any of these would have done the trick, given the style of the ST. A pity that more points can't be dished out! Note that I've opted for BD's "languorous", but I think Sandra's "languid" would also have worked here
Notes to answerer
Asker: excellent , thank you George! This inspires something along the lines of: bending before an Aeolian wind... metaphorically of course! give or take the odd pmmission!

Asker: Omission, even!

Asker: please don't hesitate to repeat any of the above in an answer to the next question - if you have the time and inclination!

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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
languorous under the imperious breath of the winds


Explanation:
Languorous, not languishing. The latter would be a faux ami here.

"s'alanguir v. pron. ...
Devenir langoureux.
4 (…) quand elle lui prenait le bras, elle se laissait aller à s'alanguir, à trébucher, pour lui mieux manifester sa confiance, son abandon, son amour."
Le Grand Robert

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2010-12-07 15:31:35 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

"alanguissant, ante [alɑ̃gisɑ̃, ɑ̃t] adj.
ÉTYM. xixe; p. prés. de alanguir.
v
u Rare. Qui alanguit, emplit de langueur. | « … les alanguissantes mélodies de Mendelssohn… » (P. Bourget, in T. L. F.)."
Le Grand Robert

B D Finch
France
Local time: 02:28
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 43
Notes to answerer
Asker: thanks Barbara, I take your point regarding languishing/languorous!


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  SMcG (X): hot and heavy
3 hrs
  -> Thanks
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4 days   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
languid under the pressing touch of Eolus's breath


Explanation:
Here is my probably quite clumsy take.

Sandra Mouton
United Kingdom
Local time: 01:28
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 16
Notes to answerer
Asker: not clumsy at all - thanks Sandra!

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